Showing posts with label electronic music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electronic music. Show all posts

Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller Review

Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller
Average Reviews:

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When I first saw a DJ at the San Diego Media Arts Center using this thing at a laptop jam, I thought it was incredible... but when he told me the price he paid on Amazon I thought it was doubly incredible. If you already have Live, the APC20 is a bargain by itself. But if you don't have Live, this package is TRIPLY icredible since it comes with an almost fully functional version (much more functional than standard Live Lite) thus saving you hundreds of bucks! I think the software alone would be worth the price for someone like me... a dabbler without deep pockets.
Caveats & Quibbles
I run XP and had trouble with drivers, but I got a quick helpful response from Akai support. I also had some VST plug-in hangups. They seemed to resolve themselves when I uninstalled and reinstalled. If that doesn't work for you, finding which plug-in is causing the problem can be tedious.
The included USB wire was kinda short (maybe 3 feet). And the USB doesn't power the APC20; you need to plug in an additional wire to a power source.
The biggest potential problem... once you fire up this sucker you can kiss normal life good-bye. You'll be lost for hours playing with infinite push-button permutations of polyphonic pow-ah!


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Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black Review

Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black
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I'm a laptop musician and I've gotten extremely tired of staring at the screen, twiddling virtual knobs one at a time with my mouse. When Korg introduced the nano line, I practically ran to the store to check them out. The nanoKONTROL is almost perfect for my setup, and for under sixty bucks I couldn't walk out without one.
First off, this is definitely NOT plug-n-play, but it's a breeze to setup. I use Ableton Live and it immediately recognized the nanoKONTROL and let me assign functions to each button, knob, and slider with no issues at all. It revolutionized my live show because I can suddenly operate multiple faders and trigger multiple audio loops at once, all in a unit that's smaller than a carton of cigarettes. There are only nine fader/knob sets, but you can change 'scenes,' which essentially transposes the controls up to the next bank of nine, effectively giving you 36 fader sets. It even has lights so you can see what's triggered on a dark stage. I've had this for a good four or five months now and have never had any problems- after setting it up, simply plug it in and you're good to go.
The nanoKONTROL also ships with a copy of the Korg Kontrol Editor, which is a little program you can use to alter the firmware of the device. The Editor allows you to change the parameters of your nano- what kind of midi signal is being sent, the channel, the toggle, the high and low values, et cetera. You can even save multiple editor files, so you can switch between settings depending on what program you're using. Absolutely brilliant.
There is one con to this unit, and I'm not gonna lie: it feels chintzy. When I first picked it up, I had to laugh because it's such a lightweight piece of plastic that it feels more like a child's toy than a piece of equipment. I feel like one little drop and this thing will shatter into bits. The knobs and faders are cheap as hell and before you plug it in, you will feel a little ripped off. BUT AFTER YOU PLUG IT IN, you will realize that those tacky knobs and faders are extremely responsive and you just got a great controller for the price of a decent dinner for two.
I've heard mixed reviews of the other nano products, especially the keyboard (seriously, you can buy an old Oxygen 8 for almost the same price, so get some real midi keys), but I HIGHLY recommend the nanoKONTROL. You'll love it.

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Part of the super-compact nanoSERIES, Korg's nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches, plus a full transport section for expansive control; even a flexible note input mode to help you lay down your next big groove.

The Korg nanoSERIES The Korg nanoSERIES provide a keyboard controller, a pad controller, and a studio controller with dedicated transport controls. Each of these USB-powered, slim-line controllers is designed to make the most of your valuable studio space, and is small enough to take with you on any musical journey. Place one of our keyboard controllers in front of your laptop, rest a pad controller on your music workstation, park a studio controller on your recording console--or anywhere else you need versatile control over your DAW, virtual instrument, effect or DJ software. Although small in size, all three nanoSERIES controllers go HUGE when it comes to functionality, yet their intuitive layouts provide extremely easy operation for any user.
nanoKONTROL--The Most Expansive Array of Controls For Its Size--Period The nanoKONTROL features a plethora of controllers to help you get the most control out of your software for the size and money. nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a full transport section. For each of the four programmable scenes the nanoKONTROL offers, you can set the controllers any way you need them. That means that you can transmit a total of 168 different MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, as well as MIDI notes with the switches. The six transport buttons can each transmit either MIDI CC messages or MMC messages to control functions such as: start, stop, loop, or record on your DAW software.
Imagine taking full control of your software--transport, a full track's worth of faders, pans and mutes--or how about precise dedicated control over the many parameters of software synths, samplers or virtual drum machines. It's all possible with the nanoKONTROL.
To add to the nanoKONTROL's flexibility, an attack and decay time can be specified for the eighteen switches. This allows you to smoothly feed controller messages into parameters such as wet/dry levels for an effect, a filter for a synth, or a volume fader for that perfect fade.
What's in the Box Korg nanoKONTROL, USB cable, Owner's Manual

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BEHRINGER BCF2000 USB MIDI RECORDING+MIXING CONTROLLER Review

BEHRINGER BCF2000 USB MIDI RECORDING+MIXING CONTROLLER
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For this price you will not find another control surface with this flexibility. I've got it controlling Adobe Audition 3 and it is working flawlessly. My ratings for ease of use and features are relative to the price.
Programming the unit is not as simple as some would have you believe, although you can find presets online for most DAWs and I found a template detailing what the default functions are for AA3. Easy to get up and running and with a little googling its simple to figure out what you need to. I would buy it again and have recommended it to everyone I know who has a similar setup at home.
mhlavinatgmaildotcom

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Pioneer DJM-400 Pro Dj Mixer Review

Pioneer DJM-400 Pro Dj Mixer
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For any dj that is trying to figure out what to get, look no further.
The DJM-400 is hands down one of the best mixers an amateur can get a hold of. It has most of the features of the higher end DJMs, but with a lot less confusion.
It's very simple to start with the 400. 2 channels, cross fader, eq...
It even comes with several effects, all of which are processed at a high quality and sound amazing, even when you crank the effect level up all the way.
It's built like a tank, but it sure is a lovely sight to look at.
For the dj on the rise, i recomend you get one of these, and a pair of CDJ-400 and you will be all set to rock out a killer set.

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The entry-level Pioneer DJM-400 mixer with an all-digital mixing bus (24bit/96kHz) features seven onboard effects, including the all new In-Loop Sampler. It matches Pioneer's CDJ-200 CD turntable in both function and design, allowing DJs to expand the range of DJing and remixing. And its symmetrical design is the same size as a CDJ-200, enabling an easy fit in a compact DJ coffin.

An intelligent 24bit/96kHz sampler automatically detects the tempo of a song during playback, sampling it for a length of 4 beats then loops the sample. Since the sampled sound is in sync with the beat of the tune being played, no matter the tempo, it enables live remixing like never before. Samples are automatically stretched and compressed to match the beat. The DJM-400 stores five samples onboard for a total of 12 seconds of sample time.

Onboard effects automatically detect the beats per minute of the music and sync to the beats. The DJM-400 includes seven onboard effects: Delay, Echo, Filter, Flanger, Phaser, Robot and Roll. All effects are processed at 24bits for the highest quality sound. A new Beat Select button allows more intuitive and aggressive DJ playing and remixing. Each channel has 3-band isolator EQ with full cut capability. The EQ ranges from +9dB to -∞ (infinity) for total control of the sound.

Key Features and Specifications
The ability to select either of two microphone connections or one stereo line connection
A fader start so playback can be started by simply sliding the cross fader or channel fader when connected to a Pioneer CDJ product
A peak level meter so the DJ can check audio input levels for each channel or for the master
A Talk Over feature that automatically lowers track volume for the DJ to speak over the track
2 Channels
4 Line Inputs
2 Turntable Inputs
2 Switchable Phono/Line Inputs
2 Fader Start connections
3 Band EQ per channel (-infinity dB to +6dB)
2 Mic Inputs (1/4-inch)
Mic EQ
3-Position Adjustable Cross Fader Curve
Headphone Monitor auditioning
Reinforced headphone jacks
Two RCA Master Output
Dimensions: 12 x 13-9/16 x 4-5/16 inches
Weight: 8.8 pounds


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Pioneer CDJ-200 Pro Cd/Mp3 Player Review

Pioneer CDJ-200 Pro Cd/Mp3 Player
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Many places (usually DJ phedophile type) label these players as entry level professional. You WILL think differently UNLESS you DJ in clubs! In my mind, these are professional players if you dont scratch, everything is there for you.
The build quality is excellent, solid robust, and use oil damping. Trust me oil damping shock makes a different, shake these things while theyre playing, they wont skip!
Auto cue and loop is excellent, plus manual in out and loop effects make this a really excellent machine for house breaks and playing your own mixes. To do a test, I auto looped 2 tracks both 128bp, synced using the BPP and tempo functions of the players, played both players through a mixer for 15 minutes, they never missed sync! very accurate BPM and tempo. And this was AUTO loop! imagine with manual, you have even more precision.
BPM is always an issue, due to its accuracy (some BPM counters are a gimmic, ie behringer VXM mixers! )however the BPM here performs very well, the players for the quality, are at an unbelievable price.
the MP3 function is great too, get 100 tracks on a cd instead of carrying your collection to a function, in 7 cd cases (like me!)
plus they fully read MP3 tags, what more do you want?
Wah, Jet, and zip effects are really nice, as is the addition of adjusting speed and key of a track
All round great players
Ive been a DJ for 17 years, seen everything come and go, theres no surprising these players are so popular!
awesome!

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Akai MPK 49 Controller Keyboard Review

Akai MPK 49 Controller Keyboard
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First of all, the pads DO suck. MPC's are known for their pads so you'd think Akai would at least be able to put the same type of pad/contact design on their MPK line. Instead they put a bunch of pads with no play that feel like buttons and make the keyboard housing vibrate when you pound them. On top of that they placed the contacts so far away it's damn near impossible to get 127 velocity on the pads without going Full Level. Even my LPD8 feels better than this thing. And even though they look like the MPC1000 pads, the 1000 pads are twice as thick as the ones here. I would have loved for them to have put the 1000 pads on this. At least then I'd be able to play back a chopped loop without feeling like I'm dialing a phone number.
The best part of the controller is the control surface. The transport keys, knobs, and sliders feel great. The LCD screen looks great.
Something unique about the controller is that it has built in MIDI settings that mimic classic MPC functions (16 level, MPC swing, note repeat). Too bad the pads keep you from fully enjoying these features.
The keys are decent but slightly noisy because they vibrate on release. The controller is also one of the few 49 key controllers out there with aftertouch. I prefer the lever-like feel of the Axiom when it comes to using aftertouch but the keys here are not a dealbreaker.
There's also a simple arpeggiator you can use. It's fairly simple in that there are only 5 settings you can use to separate notes in a chord. If you've used a more sophisticated arp (like the one on a Yamaha KX8), you'll be disappointed though.
The MPK is a good controller but Akai could have done way better than this. If you're using this for the keys and control surface it's a decent investment. But if you're thinking of buying this for the pads so you can drum and play back chopped loops, get an MPD instead.

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More than just a USB/MIDI controller, the Akai MPK49 USB/MIDI Controller Keyboard helps you maximize your musical ideas on-stage or in the studio. It combines a high-quality, 49-key, semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch and 12 genuine MPC drum pads. It also offers 48 total accessible pads via 4 pad banks, and you can control up to 72 different parameters via 24 assignable Q-Link knobs, faders, and buttons as well as optional footswitches.


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Denon Dnx 100 Review

Denon Dnx 100
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i have owned this unit for about 2 years now, and its a great piece of equipment, it does everything you need as a DJ, you can also adjust curve and contour which is not common for small mixers, the size its a big plus, as a DJ i'm constantly moving from bars to clubs to parties, and carrying heavy equipment sucks, this little baby can fit into any case or bag, fader and knobs are smooth and precise, if you are looking for a 2 channel mixer and dont want to spend big $ this would be my top choice. Great work Denon!!!

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Ion Audio TTUSB 10 Vinyl Recording USB Turntable with Audacity Software, Dust Cover and Analog Stereo Input Review

Ion Audio TTUSB 10 Vinyl Recording USB Turntable with Audacity Software, Dust Cover and Analog Stereo Input
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Now I know why I saved all those old 33 1/3 rpm records. Short of a NASA-quality machine, the Ion USB and associated Audacity software is the answer to the dreams of vinyl-savers. I went for the slightly higher-priced Ion rather than the Numark and was glad I did -- the heavy duty dust cover and tone arm lever are well worth it.
The software is awesome, especially to a dummy like me. Though it took me and my computer-wise grandson a few hours to figure it out and get a track recorded, a little fiddling with it will produce your own ritual procedure that will allow you to record tracks and export them as WAV or MP3 files to the desktop, from whence they can easily be dubbed to a CD. The instruction manual, I'm sure, is easily understood by those more in tune with the phrasing, but I found that about three commands do all I need or want. The click and pop removal feature is incredible, and will remove all but the most prominent clicks.
This is a high quality unit with excellent software. I recommend it strongly to any wanting to transfer old records of any speed to CD.

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Digitize your vinyl LPs and 45s the easy way with the high-end Ion Audio TTUSB10 turntable, which enables you to transfer music from your records to your Windows- or Mac-based PC via USB. Additionally, you can connect the TTUSB10 to your home stereo via RCA audio output cables, and you can connect it even if your stereo doesn't have a phono input--no preamp required.
The TTUSB10 also has a line input jack so you can connect other music sources such as cassette decks, and turn your other music into MP3s. You can also adjust the gain depending on whether audio from the turntable is too quite or too loud. Its built-in dust cover protects your turntable from dust and dirt.
It comes with everything you need to turn your music into digital MP3 files. ION's exclusive software suite makes transfer and editing your music easy. EZ Vinyl Converter provides an easy way to transfer your music and import it into your iTunes music library. Windows users can download a version of EZ Vinyl Converter with Gracenote MusicID technology for free. It automatically adds album, artist, and song information for you.
Key Features
Turn your records into MP3s
Play records on your home stereo
Plug and Play USB connection: no drivers needed
Adjustable anti-skate control for increased stereo balancing
33-1/3 and 45 RPM settings
Switchable-level RCA output
1/8-inch stereo line input digitize music from cassettes or other sources
Included software quickly transfers your music to iTunes
Built-in dust cover
Dimensions: 14.5 x 17.75 x 6 inches; weighs 8 pounds

What's in the Box TTUSB10 turntable, dust cover, slipmat, 45RPM adapter, cartridge with pre-assembled stylus, USB cable, audio cables, power cable, software CD, quick start guide
Computer Requirements
PC running Windows XP (32-bit or 64-bit) or Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Mac running OS X 10.4 or higher
One available USB 1.1 port or higher



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Fender Starcaster TT-1 Electronic Table-Top Drum Kit Review

Fender Starcaster TT-1 Electronic Table-Top Drum Kit
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This is really strange, because I bought this unit on sale from another vendor ($129) and like other reviewers state it turns off at higher volumes but I kept it anyways and here's why.
As a beginner drum student, I wasn't ready to invest in a drum set so I went with this tabletop model at a rock bottom price, comparing it to 5 other brands. My hope was that if I could get the knack of playing it after a few months, then I would consider upgrading to a full kit and hopefully sell it at an online auction for a fair price.
The first time I played along with one of the learning songs, I turned up the volume and the entire unit shut off! After some investigating, it turns out that if I turn the bass OFF, I can use it beyond a 4 volume, maybe up to a 6 on a good day. But with that bass on, the entire unit will always shut down whenever it reaches a 3 or 4 depending on how hard I am hitting the pads.
In the end, because of storage considerations and the fact that it does have a student mode, metronome and other features I have elected to keep it, deal with its defect and play it at low volume. I also took into account that just one snare practice pad runs around $20 or so, and a metronome another $25.
With all those reasons combined, I figured that it's still a good value for practice reasons, because returning it and finding another model for the same price or even a little more was not an option at the time of purchase.
In reading these reviews it seems that its a common defect, so buyer beware. I would still take my chance again and see if you end up with one that doesn't have this problem because it is a fabulous value.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review.

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